Top Five Weakest Writers of FiM · 5:07pm Nov 17th, 2016
These Top Ten and Top Five lists are winding down, but I wanted to end them on a positive note and not a negative one. So today we're going to look at the five writers who just haven't been able to click with the show for one reason or another, and tomorrow we'll take a look at the five writers who've managed to either pull out the most consistent streaks of writing or cranked out some of the best episodes of the show. Like every list, this one is not official by any means, and I mean no disrespect to any of the DHX staff. Now, let's begin! Before we do though, I should mention that since Besty McGowen and Teddy Antonio left no impression, they will not be on either list, it just isn't fair to judge someone when they've left no impression.
5. F.M. De Marco (Episodes written: 28 Pranks Later (Meghan McCarthy credited with story))
It's not surprising that a writer from another Hasbro show would eventually find their way onto this one, Littlest Pet Shop was very much FiM's sister show, boasting much of the same voice talent, animation studio, and even some of the writers from FiM (including M. A. Larson and Merriweather Williams). I don't know if Marco was just unlucky to get stuck with an attempt at revisiting "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" (and why would anyone want to revisit that?), or if he just wasn't the right choice for the show since his work on Littlest Pet Shop was mostly meh.
4. Michael P. and Will Fox (Episodes written: Gift of The Maud Pie (Collabed with Josh Haber for story), Applejack's "Day" Off (Collabed with Neal Dusedau for story), P.P.O.V. (Pony Point Of View) (Collabed with Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt for story))
These two obscure authors really have gotten the short end of the stick so far, they clearly have the potential as "Gift of The Maud Pie" showed, but they just aren't getting paired up with people willing to help them. Even Josh Haber was more interested in using their episode to shoehorn Rarity into every episode possible, rather than actually try to help them out. Maybe if they got Haber now, or Meghan or Michael, they could do a good job. As it stands, they should probably get a Rarity episode, since Rarity is the only character all three of their episodes share (Pinkie Pie and Applejack appeared in two, as did Twilight and Spike, Rainbow Dash had a cameo in one) and they would need time to get used to the other members of the mane eight.
3. Chris Savino (Episodes written: Boast Busters, Stare Master)
Poor Chris, he only wrote for two episodes and neither one was really good, yet it was Dave Polsky and Charlotte Fullerton who the fandom often tended to have it out for in Season 1. Yet Dave would bounce back and at least for a time become a fan favorite writer, while Fullerton would eventually quietly fade away. Chris never really got a chance to shine, and he was lucky his first episode didn't get the show killed. Unless you start off really strong, a bad episode can really raise concerns about whether or not your show has a chance. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
2. Neal Dusedau (Episodes written: Princess Spike (Story by Jim Miller and Jayson Thiesen), What About Discord?, Applejack's "Day" Off (Collabed with Michael P. and Will Fox for story))
If there's one writer that the fandom can agree has never written a single good or even decent episode, it would have to be Neal. The guy just never manages to write a story without it being riddled with plot holes or badly written characters, whether it be one of the most insulting Spike episodes, an episode that tried to justify jealousy with protagonist centered morality, or an episode that didn't even practice what it preached. Yes, bad people can make good art and vice versa, but Neal's had three chances now to prove that he can be rebound and improve, and all three times he's struck out. Merriweather and Dave managed to do well with their third chance, so it's a pity Neal couldn't do the same.
1. David Rapp (Episodes written: Newbie Dash (Collabed with Dave Polsky for story), Flutter Brutter (Meghan McCarthy credited with story), Where The Apple Lies (Collabed with Meghan McCarthy for story))
I really do hate to pick on David, as I don't know if the live action shows he's previously written for are any good, but it's clear he just isn't ready for the changes that writing for cartoons brings. Animation and live action are very different forms of media, and there are things both can do better than the other. Neither of David's direct collabs were any good, and "Flutter Brutter" probably only turned out the way it did because David wasn't writing the story at all. Maybe David just needs to give story writing priority to someone else, but as it stands I just don't think he's worth keeping. At least all the writers prior to him have written for cartoons (or in Berrow and Vogel's cases, they've written books that tie into the show).
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow when we take a look at the Top Five Strongest Writers of FiM.
For me, the only weak writer on the show is Neal, and even then, he still hasn't written an episode that I could put in my bottom ten of the series.
Neal is my number weakest writer better luck next season.